mni ISO 639

মৈতৈলোন্‎ (Meiteilon) Autonyms

Meitei

  • Geography

    IN Assam state: Cachar and Dima Hasao; Mainly Manipur state; Nagaland state: Dimapur, Kohima, Peren, Phek; Mizoram state: Aizwal and Kolasibi; possibly some in nearby states.
  • Language Cloud

A language of India

mni
Kathe, Kathi, Manipuri, Meetei, Meeteilon, Meitei Manipuri, Meiteilon, Meiteiron, Meithe, Meithei, Menipuri, Mitei, Mithe, Ponna
মৈতৈলোন্‎ (Meiteilon)
1,760,000 in India (2011 census). Total users in all countries: 1,775,000.
Assam state: Cachar and Dima Hasao; Mainly Manipur state; Nagaland state: Dimapur, Kohima, Peren, Phek; Mizoram state: Aizwal and Kolasibi; possibly some in nearby states.
India: Index map, Northeastern Bangladesh
2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial language in Manipur State (1992, Constitution, Amendment 71).
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Sal, Kuki-Chin-Naga
Meitei, Loi (Chakpa), Pang-gal (Manipuri Muslim, Pang-gan). Intelligibility of Meitei in Bangladesh is difficult. Those in Bangladesh may understand India Meitei better than vice versa possibly due to more language change in Bangladesh over the years. India Meitei is more standard. Intelligibility between dialects in Bangladesh definitely sufficient to understand complex and abstract discourse. Lexical similarity: 80%–86% between dialects in Bangladesh, 65%–70% between Bangladesh and India varieties.
SOV; postpositions; articles before noun heads; 25 consonants and 6 vowels; tonal (2 tones).
Also use Hindi [hin]. Used as L2 by Aimol [aim], Anal [anm], Chiru [cdf], Chothe Naga [nct], Gangte [gnb], Hmar [hmr], Inpui Naga [nkf], Kharam Naga [kfw], Koireng [nkd], Kom [kmm], Lamkang [lmk], Mao Naga [nbi], Maram Naga [nma], Monsang Naga [nmh], Moyon Naga [nmo], Purum [pub], Tarao Naga [tro], Thado Chin [tcz], Thangal Naga [nki].
Literacy rate in L1: 73% (2005 BI). Literacy rate in L2: 69% for Manipur (2001 census). Taught in primary and secondary schools through grade 5 and as subject thereafter in Manipur state. Literature. Radio. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1984–2019.
Bengali (Bangla) script [Beng]. Braille script [Brai]. Meitei Mayek script [Mtei].
Mainly rural. 7 clans (Mangang (Ningthouja), Luwang. Khuman (Khumal), Moirang, Angom, Khaba-nganba, and Sarang-leisangthem). Hindu, Christian, Muslim, traditional religion.
OLAC resources in and about Meitei
Meitei
15,000 in Bangladesh (2003). 300 monolinguals.
Sylhet division: Moulvi Bazar district, Kamalganj subdistrict; Sylhet city.
Hindu Meitei, Pangan (Pangal).
5 (Dispersed)
Vigorous. Home, village. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Bengali [ben], especially youth. Also use Bishnupuriya [bpy]. Also use Sylheti [syl]. Used as L2 by Bishnupuriya [bpy].
Literacy rate in L1: Low. Literacy rate in L2: 70% in Bengali [ben]. Those literate in Bengali are able to read Meitei but have little practice doing so.
Preferred name is Meitei Manipuri. Outsiders don’t distinguish between Meitei and Bishnupriya, calling both of them Manipuri. Meitei is a well-developed language with much literature in India, but little is available in Bangladesh. Hindu, Muslim.
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